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Liberia Honors Namibian Leader By: Fatoumata Fofana Courtesy: Liberian Observer August 03, 2009  MONROVIA,
The Government and people of Liberia have honored the President of the
Republic of Namibia. The honor of Grand Cordon in the Most Venerable
Order of the Knighthood of the Pioneers was yesterday bestowed on
President Hifikepunye Pohamba by Liberia's President Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf. The Namibian leader was honored for being an outstanding and
distinguished revolutionary leader who, for the total emancipation of
his people from colonial rule, selflessly and tirelessly struggled over
the years.The distinction is solely reserved and conferred on only Heads of State. The colorful conferral ceremony was held on Wednesday, July 29, 2009, at C. Cecil Dennis Auditorium, Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Capitol Hill in Monrovia. The Liberian leader also indicated she bestowed the honor on the visiting Namibian leader in her power as Grand Master of the Orders of Distinction of Liberia. Born in August of 1935, the Namibian leader began his innovatory struggle in 1974 and 1978, when he travelled to Tanzania and Zambia for military training. Married with two children, President Pohamba started his early learning between 1980 and 1981. From 1956 to 1960, he began his career as a clerk. Overwhelmed by high sense of nationalism and patriotism, the Namibian President joined his compatriots of the South-West African People's Organization (SWAPO) in 1960; where he served with responsibility for political mobilization. It is worth noting that President Pohamba's involvement with SWAPO subsequently brought him in direct political confrontation with the then colonial administrators of his country. Subsequently, he was arrested, detained for several days, and flogged publicly at a traditional court in 1960. Still determined and resolute in his struggle, the Namibian Chief Executive left his country for Tanzania shortly after that bitter ordeal. However, he returned to Namibia in 1962 where he was again arrested, imprisoned for five months and thereafter, placed under house arrest at a remote village in that African country. He again went into exile in the Republic of Tanzania but returned to his native land in 1963. There, he operated under-ground, mobilizing political support for SWAPO, a known political and revolutionary movement in that country at the time. In 1964, President Pohamba left Namibia for Tanzania but this time, returned to challenge the then South African colonial administration. But, he was subsequently detained and deported to Zambia. In 2004, he was catapulted into the presidency of his country by the Namibian people through a democratic process. It is also imperative to note that President Pohamba has been involved over the years in the amicable resolution of the Liberian armed conflict. His country has contributed peacekeeping forces to the UN Mission in Liberia. In response to the honor conferred on him by the Liberian Government, President Pohamba expressed overwhelming thanks and appreciation to the Government and people of Liberia. He noted that it symbolized the strong ties that exist between the two countries. “I wear this award not only as an honor for me, but also for the men and women of my country. I do, therefore, accept on their behalf, this honor. This is an encouragement for the rise to consolidate peace and respect for human dignity not only in Namibia but Africa and the world at large,” he said. |
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